Mr Belzak Case Study

1. Identify healthcare practices and/or beliefs of Mr. Belzak’s culture that have impacted his health. (10 points)
a. As an African American, Mr. Belzak’s culture impacts his health because he believs that his illness is due to the disharmony of nature. Also the culture has no separation between physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, so after Mr. Belzak’s wife passed away, his emotional needs suffered which contributed to his physical needs suffering and his health declining. Also in most African American households, the woman is the head, so with his wife no longer available to help, Mr. Belzak does not have her to schedule his appointments and ensure that he is taking care of himself. African Americans have a fear of health care exams because of the likelihood of finding some life-threatening disease. Mr. Belzak has this fear and does not go to the doctor on a regular basis, which has caused his already ailing health to decline further.

2. From the information provided,
If after five minutes, Mr. Belzak’s blood pressure reading is still high, meaning the systolic measurement is above 180mmHg and the diastolic reading is greater than 110mmHg, it would not be safe to continue the appointment. Depending on when Mr. Belzak took his blood pressure medication determines if it has had time to take full effect in his body. With his current reading it is not safe to proceed with treatment, because the systolic reading is above 180mmHg. A medical consultation would need to be obtained to continue treatment in the future. The dental hygienist should proceed with precaution because his blood pressure may increase as the procedure continues. Administration of a small, short amount of nitrous oxide-oxygen might help Mr. Belzak relax and his blood pressure to decrease. If his blood pressure continues to rise he is at risk of creating a medical emergency in the office. His elevated blood pressure might cause him to experience a heart attack or stroke during